Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

The Illusion of Elections: How Authoritarian Power Undermines Democratic Legitimacy in Myanmar

This blog examines how elections in Myanmar, stripped of genuine competition, political freedoms, and popular consent, have failed to protect democracy and instead become instruments of authoritarian rule.

Georgia’s Foreign Agents Law and Quiet Death of Democratic Accountability

Georgia’s 2024 foreign agents law uses the language of transparency to legally constrain civil society, tilt electoral competition towards the incumbent Georgian Dream Party, and accelerate democratic backsliding despite domestic and international opposition.

The Boiling Point of Election Violence: Democratic Erosion in Tanzania

Once hailed for its relative stability in an otherwise politically volatile East Africa, Tanzania has exploded into violence and political protest following the controversial reelection of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Dina Boluarte and Democratic Backsliding in Peru

Dec 16, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Figure 1 Ui-martin September, 2025 With the murder of over 50 protestors in three years, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has demonstrated her willingness to suppress...

Democratic Erosion: India and the U.S.

Dec 15, 2025 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

Democratic Erosion in the United States and India Intro From 2024-2025, India’s democratic erosion is deeper because of opaque party finance, and because pressures on civil...

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court Upholds Bolsonaro’s Conviction — Hope For Democratic Resilience Remains

Nov 30, 2025 | Northeastern University

“In Brazil, impunity for those who attack democracy has always been the rule. This trial breaks that cycle” — Oscar Vilhena Vieira (2025).” Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) has recently upheld...

When Violence Becomes “Politics as Usual”: How Normalization Threatens American Democracy

Nov 28, 2025 | Northeastern University

In the United States today, political violence is no longer an unimaginable notion, it is becoming a background condition of democratic life. Threats against election workers, armed intimidation at...

Presidential Crisis in Guatemala: The Challenges and Resilience of Democracy

Nov 24, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Guatemala’s 2023 Presidential election sparked a democratic crisis in the country, as anti-corruption reformer Bernardo Arévalo’s rise to power and election brought political blowback from the...

El Salvador: Nayib Bukele’s Stealth Authoritarian Tactics

Nov 24, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

El Salvador has been known, historically, for its high murder rate and deep-seated gang violence. However, over the past six years the country's gang violence has decreased by 70%. But at what cost?...

El Salvador Chose Bukele, Not Democracy

Nov 21, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

On July 31, 2025, the El Salvadoran congress passed significant changes to the El Salvadoran constitution. By a vote of 57 to 3, they passed notable changes including the removal of presidential...

Civil Society vs. Populism: Israel’s Fight Over Democracy

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

“Democracy can collapse in silence, but in Israel it spilled into the streets.” On July 24, 2023, the Knesset passed what became known as the “reasonableness law,” eliminating the Supreme Court’s...

Can Poland Rebuild Its Democratic Institutions Without Breaking Them Further?

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Georgia

Poland’s 2023 election was noted as a critical turning point. After eight years, the Law and Justice Party (PiS), a coalition led by Donald Tusk gained enough seats to attempt a democratic course...

Daniel Ortega, and his Patient, Lifelong Quest for Unchecked Power in Nicaragua

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Nicaragua’s experience with true, liberal democracy is limited. Their battle to end United States backed regimes went well into the 1970s. Free, fair, competitive elections were not seen until 1990....

Free But Not Fair – Turkey’s Tilted Elections

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

In the May 2023 Turkish presidential election, the world watched closely to see if voters would finally have the power to put an end to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 20 year rule. However, the...